U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,354, U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,998 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,676 disclose a water sport device for supporting a seated human rider while the rider and the device are towed behind a powered water craft. The device includes an elongated board to which a rigidly mounted seat and foot holders are secured. An elongate strut or arm projects downwardly from the board and wings are secured to the arm generally parallel to the board. The positioning of the seat and the wings provide essentially no lift when the board is horizontal. The positioning of the rigidly mounted seat and the wings at the rear of the board, the use of a single vertical strut, the size of the wings and the positioning of the foot holders at least two feet in front of the seat provides a water sports device which is relatively easy to ride, while at the same time being highly maneuverable and capable of high jumps.
These towable personal hydrofoils can be somewhat difficult to learn to ride. Hydrofoil riders often having difficulty bringing the hydrofoil up to the surface of the water from a starting, submerged position when first learning to ride.
The disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,100,354, 5,249,998 and 6,179,676 are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
This invention comprises an inflatable boat adapted to serve as a training aid and enable a towable, personal hydrofoil watersport device adapted to carry a seated rider having an elongate board and a vertical strut extending generally at a right angle to said board to float on the surface of the water while carrying a rider comprising:
(a) elongated spaced apart inflatable pontoon sections connected in proximity to their lower extremities by
(b) a carrying surface including an upper surface, a leading edge and a trailing edge,
said pontoons sections and said leading edge of said carrying surface forming a generally smooth leading fairing surface for being towed through water with minimum drag,
said carrying surface being provided with an opening in proximity to its trailing edge, said opening being adapted to retain said strut and the lateral distance between said pontoon sections being adapted to receive therebetween the elongated board.
The invention further comprises in combination,
a) an inflatable boat comprising
(i) elongated spaced apart inflatable pontoon sections connected in proximity to their lower extremities by
(ii) a carrying surface including an upper surface, a leading edge and a trailing edge, said pontoon sections and said leading edge of said carrying surface forming a generally smooth leading fairing surface for being towed through water with minimum drag, said carrying surface being provided with an opening in proximity to its trailing edge; and
b) a towable personal hydrofoil watersport device adapted to carry a seated rider having an elongate board and a generally vertical strut extending generally at a right angle to said board,
wherein said strut is received in said opening and projects downwardly below said carrying surface, and the elongated board rests on the upper surface of said carrying surface between said pontoon sections.
This invention still further comprises an inflatable boat adapted to serve as a training aid in learning the use of a towable personal hydrofoil watersport device adapted to carry a seated rider, said inflatable boat comprising:
(a) elongated spaced apart inflatable pontoon sections connected in proximity to their lower extremities by
(b) a carrying surface including an upper surface, a leading edge and a trailing edge,
said pontoon sections and said leading edge of said carrying surface forming a generally smooth leading fairing surface for being towed through water with minimum drag,
said carrying surface being provided with an opening in proximity to its trailing edge, said opening being adapted to retain a vertical strut extending downwardly below said carrying surface, said carrying surface further having, in proximity to said opening, means associated therewith to carry a seat on said upper surface.